In Brief

baseball

Braves think Uggla final piece of puzzle to take on Phillies

The Braves locked up second baseman Dan Uggla with the team's largest contract in nearly a decade. Now, they're ready to take on the mighty Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

Uggla completed a $62 million, five-year contract with Atlanta on Thursday, passing up the chance to perhaps earn a more lucrative deal in free agency after the 2011 season.

"This team is ready to win right now," he said. "The core group is going to be here a long time. We have the pieces in place to win for a long time."

Uggla receives a $1 million signing bonus, $9 million this year and $13 million in each of the following four seasons. His contract is Atlanta's largest total payout since Andruw Jones signed a six-year, $75 million deal after the 2001 season.

Also: The Phillies re-signed left-handed relief specialist J.C. Romero to a one-year, $1.35 million contract. Romero, 34, was 1-0 with three saves and a 3.68 ERA in 60 games for Philadelphia last season.

Outfielder David Murphy and the Texas Rangers avoided arbitration, agreeing to a $2.4 million, one-year contract. He hit .291 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs in 138 games for the American League champion Rangers last season.

miscellaneous

BYU standout Fredette named to Wooden Midseason Top 30

Brigham Young senior guard Jimmer Fredette is among those named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30.

Fredette has led BYU to a 15-1 record and a No. 15 national ranking. The Glens Falls, N.Y., native has scored 20-plus points 12 times and 30 points four times, including 39 in Wednesday's 89-77 victory at 25th-ranked UNLV.

The Midseason Top 30 makes those players early front-runners for college basketball's top honor.

Two freshmen -- Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and Kentucky's Terrence Jones -- also made the list.

Also: Washington State point guard Reggie Moore received two citations involving marijuana and paraphernalia but will not miss any games. Coach Ken Bone said he learned about the citations Dec. 12 and that Moore has been disciplined by the team.

Despite former Centennial High School star Italee Lucas' 21 points, No. 8 North Carolina lost to Georgia Tech 71-70 at Atlanta. The Tar Heels (15-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) squandered a seven-point lead with less than two minutes left.

U.S. basketball player Diana Taurasi had her contract terminated by Turkish club Fenerbahce after her "B" sample tested positive for doping. Taurasi faces a ban of up to two years, putting in jeopardy her chances of playing for the United States at the 2012 London Olympics.

It's Zenyatta versus Blame one more time.

The superstar mare and the 4-year-old horse who ended her 19-race unbeaten streak in the Breeders' Cup Classic are among the finalists for the Eclipse Award's Horse of the Year, which will be handed out Jan. 17.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remain on course to meet in the Qatar Open final after both won their quarterfinals in straight sets in Doha, Qatar.

Federer routed sixth-seeded Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-2 in 65 minutes and will face third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals today.

Top-ranked Nadal was given more of a test by Latvia's Ernests Gulbis before pulling away to a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory. Nadal will face Nikolay Davydenko in the other semifinal today.

Carlos Sainz in cars and Marc Coma in motorbikes held their overall leads in the Dakar Rally, while Stephane Peterhansel and Paulo Goncalves won the fifth stage in northern Chile.